Luke Ronchi played a second consecutive match-winning innings to not only win the Twenty20 series for New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium but also indicate that his flagging international career might have turned a corner. His 51 off 28 balls, a maiden T20 half-century scored at a similar pace to his blitz at Eden Park, and his 68-run partnership with Ross Taylor revived a stumbling chase, ensuring West Indies could not make a late comeback to level the series, like they had in the ODIs.

Their efforts backed up clinical spells from Nathan McCullum and Adam Milne, who had conceded less than a run a ball and taken wickets round the halfway stage of West Indies' innings, to limit them to a par score on a ground with large boundaries. That the visitors got to 159 was only because Denesh Ramdin, who replaced Kieran Powell, also scored his maiden T20 fifty, in his 36th game.

Ronchi had averaged only 15 in 13 ODI innings for New Zealand and it's arguable that he lasted this long only because Brendon McCullum hasn't been fit enough to keep wickets. He was Man of the Match in the first T20 and he began his innings today with New Zealand having slipped from 36 for 1 to 79 for 5, needing 81 off 57 deliveries.

He was watchful for his first few balls, before moving back into his crease to hoist Nikita Miller's spin into the stands beyond midwicket. Ronchi then changed the game in the 15th over. With New Zealand needed 54 off 36, he carted Dwayne Bravo over deep midwicket and glanced to fine leg to take 16 runs off six balls. He continued to score boundaries off Sunil Narine and Jason Holder in the overs that followed, so when New Zealand's anchor Ross Taylor fell, there was not much more to do.

The equation had come down to 13 off 12 balls and Tino Best began the penultimate over with two dots. Jimmy Neesham then got an outside edge that screamed to the third-man boundary and put the next into the midwicket crowd, before hooking to finish the chase with an over to spare.

Had West Indies taken the numerous opportunities they created, however, they might have finished their tour on a high. Ryder was dropped by Johnson Charles off the third ball of the chase, and went on to make 23 off 9; Brendon McCullum scored 7 more after he was dropped by Chadwick Walton on 10; and Taylor was on 5 and yards out of his crease when Walton missed a direct hit from cover. Taylor went on to be the steadying hand New Zealand needed, shelving his penchant for leg-side lofts during his 39 off 41 balls.

Unlike West Indies, New Zealand were ace in the field. Martin Guptill set the standard when he ran to his left on the deep backward square leg boundary to catch Charles on the hook. And when Lendl Simmons's was caught at point, West Indies were 37 for 2 after six overs with both Bravo and Andre Fletcher yet to score.

Nathan McCullum bowled Bravo and did not concede a boundary in his spell, while Milne combined pace with accuracy to not concede more than six in any of his overs. They reduced West Indies to 67 for 4 in the 11th over, but the rest of New Zealand's bowlers were expensive.

Fletcher hit Corey Anderson for two consecutive fours, and Ramdin took him for consecutive sixes in successive overs, and he finished with figures of 4-0-50-0. Ramdin and Fletcher also ran hard between the wickets - keeping the number of dots in the innings to 41 - and they were eventually separated by a run-out. West Indies had scored 58 off the last five overs, but their top order had scored too few before that and their fielders let them down.

So these two calamitous tours are finally over. The result for WI is 3 wins (ODI) out of 15 matches played. The crushing truth that so many have written about is clear to all but let's separate out what little good there is. Ramdin was a revelation as the tour went on and seems to finally have come of age. He should now be ready to captain the test side. Darren Bravo played one innings that showed what he is capable of. Edwards grew in confidence. Looks good for tests and ODIs at least. Chanderpaul performed as usual.Dwayne Bravo brought life and unity to the ODI team and led with bat and ball. If he continues such form he should be back in the test team. Holder looks like he could be a quality test bowler with help from real experts like Ambrose, Holding etc. Brathwaite, Powell, Millar, Bradree, Narine, Rampaul, Fletcher all did enough to remain contenders. Shillingford is likely finished. Sammy for ODIs and T20. Gayle to bat lower.

dummy4fb
on January 16, 2014, 8:07 GMT

@cricklyoldbugger... It's NZ, we are all related my friend *-) And, yes, although he pulled it back to go under ten and got 3/16 in the last game when you had nothing to say and were nowhere to be seen troll. I always turn up.... that's the gift of being right more than you are and not being a cynical jerk.
Also, the thing about being an all-rounder, is you get two chances to turn up in the one game... and he did. WASP went to 54% and he had faced, what, two balls? Then he went 4,6,4 game over with an over to go. When he had not batted since the Eden Park ODI. Point is,,,, you criticized him and stated he offered nothing, had no idea what the fuss was about and then said he had no variety. Wrong x3.
3/16 and then 14* off 6 balls in the nest game was fine, maybe very good in fact. Yet you admit nothing. On top of that you want me to concede he bowled badly? When you were silent on his 3/16? When you cannot handle me rubbing your face in him knocking off the runs last night? Bah Humbug.

cricfan77238665
on January 16, 2014, 7:42 GMT

A bit harsh to judge Windies team minus its top players. NZ did play some good cricket though, in all 3 formats on this tour. Next up, the mighty Indians. Cannot see us beating them to be honest - their batsmen will overwhelm our bowlers. It will come down to how well Ryder, Taylor, McCullum, Williamson & Co. can deal with the Indian bowlers if we are to even have a sniff of victory. Looking forward to seeing the classy Indian batsmen in action - although not in the South Island sadly. Not sure where/how that particular edict was made ?!
Bon voyage West Indies - see ya' again real soon!

AltafPatel
on January 16, 2014, 7:03 GMT

WI was supposed to win the series. They are poor in Test cricket and almost same in ODIs. T20 is the format where they are supposed to be master. Their failure in this series marks towards something not going in efficient way.

dummy4fb
on January 16, 2014, 5:40 GMT

WI should open with Evin Lewis

Crinklyoldbugger
on January 16, 2014, 1:51 GMT

Nikko Chun must be related to Mr Neesham. Sure he hit big at the end...any Presidents Grade cricketer could do that against that woeful West Indies bowling. But what about Mr Neeshams bowling Nikko ? Pretty jolly ordinary don't you think ?

Roysingh1972
on January 16, 2014, 1:32 GMT

20/20 bowling, is economy, not taking wickets for 40 runs, Gibson and who ever selected the last 11 players in this last game, need to give us fans, some explanation! Also why does WI selectors don't pick there best stats players? WI team will continue to go down, they are hurting there better players, putting strain on them, by picking players in front of those who deserve to be on the team. If you can't find selectors in the Caribbean, then get some from outside, I am very disappointed with coach Gibson, and how they dropped Badree and Powell, how they played Ramdin in one game 20/20, how they never pick Narine for the test in India, and how they drop Chanderpaul from the ODI.

zn264
on January 15, 2014, 22:26 GMT

Great to see NZ actually dominate a series! Sure it was only two T20s but you have to start somewhere and live up to the chat in all of these interviews you have with the press. Now we look to the big scalp of India which has never really lived up to the hype (even with the previous super stars) when touring NZ. Fingers crossed for a firey series where NZ can show the world stage we're ready for the big guns!

sheru-sher
on January 15, 2014, 22:25 GMT

Bloggers keep saying that WI were missing their "big hitters" in Gayle, Samuels, Pollard and Sammy. These aforementioned are "flat tract bullies" and there is no use complaining that they were missing.In T20 cricket Kings become paupers and vice versa so nothing absolutely nothing should be taken away from the Black Caps.They beat the WI good and proper , crop and neck .If for some reason a team go to the World Cup of Soccer without injured "top players" and lose they cannot claim the World Cup of complain. Take the beating and shut up

BRUTALANALYST
on January 15, 2014, 20:46 GMT

@mngc You're right I was just thinking about back up keeper but yes Fletcher deserve to be ahead especially after his fantastic CPL I guess Powell will also be in squad I think lewis is still bit young and would be hard to make debut in such big event but agree he is one to watch. Agree about fitness I guess the home 3 game series v England will give some opportunity for couple new guys to stand up if those stars are still injured.

wirus
on January 16, 2014, 11:45 GMT

So these two calamitous tours are finally over. The result for WI is 3 wins (ODI) out of 15 matches played. The crushing truth that so many have written about is clear to all but let's separate out what little good there is. Ramdin was a revelation as the tour went on and seems to finally have come of age. He should now be ready to captain the test side. Darren Bravo played one innings that showed what he is capable of. Edwards grew in confidence. Looks good for tests and ODIs at least. Chanderpaul performed as usual.Dwayne Bravo brought life and unity to the ODI team and led with bat and ball. If he continues such form he should be back in the test team. Holder looks like he could be a quality test bowler with help from real experts like Ambrose, Holding etc. Brathwaite, Powell, Millar, Bradree, Narine, Rampaul, Fletcher all did enough to remain contenders. Shillingford is likely finished. Sammy for ODIs and T20. Gayle to bat lower.

dummy4fb
on January 16, 2014, 8:07 GMT

@cricklyoldbugger... It's NZ, we are all related my friend *-) And, yes, although he pulled it back to go under ten and got 3/16 in the last game when you had nothing to say and were nowhere to be seen troll. I always turn up.... that's the gift of being right more than you are and not being a cynical jerk.
Also, the thing about being an all-rounder, is you get two chances to turn up in the one game... and he did. WASP went to 54% and he had faced, what, two balls? Then he went 4,6,4 game over with an over to go. When he had not batted since the Eden Park ODI. Point is,,,, you criticized him and stated he offered nothing, had no idea what the fuss was about and then said he had no variety. Wrong x3.
3/16 and then 14* off 6 balls in the nest game was fine, maybe very good in fact. Yet you admit nothing. On top of that you want me to concede he bowled badly? When you were silent on his 3/16? When you cannot handle me rubbing your face in him knocking off the runs last night? Bah Humbug.

cricfan77238665
on January 16, 2014, 7:42 GMT

A bit harsh to judge Windies team minus its top players. NZ did play some good cricket though, in all 3 formats on this tour. Next up, the mighty Indians. Cannot see us beating them to be honest - their batsmen will overwhelm our bowlers. It will come down to how well Ryder, Taylor, McCullum, Williamson & Co. can deal with the Indian bowlers if we are to even have a sniff of victory. Looking forward to seeing the classy Indian batsmen in action - although not in the South Island sadly. Not sure where/how that particular edict was made ?!
Bon voyage West Indies - see ya' again real soon!

AltafPatel
on January 16, 2014, 7:03 GMT

WI was supposed to win the series. They are poor in Test cricket and almost same in ODIs. T20 is the format where they are supposed to be master. Their failure in this series marks towards something not going in efficient way.

dummy4fb
on January 16, 2014, 5:40 GMT

WI should open with Evin Lewis

Crinklyoldbugger
on January 16, 2014, 1:51 GMT

Nikko Chun must be related to Mr Neesham. Sure he hit big at the end...any Presidents Grade cricketer could do that against that woeful West Indies bowling. But what about Mr Neeshams bowling Nikko ? Pretty jolly ordinary don't you think ?

Roysingh1972
on January 16, 2014, 1:32 GMT

20/20 bowling, is economy, not taking wickets for 40 runs, Gibson and who ever selected the last 11 players in this last game, need to give us fans, some explanation! Also why does WI selectors don't pick there best stats players? WI team will continue to go down, they are hurting there better players, putting strain on them, by picking players in front of those who deserve to be on the team. If you can't find selectors in the Caribbean, then get some from outside, I am very disappointed with coach Gibson, and how they dropped Badree and Powell, how they played Ramdin in one game 20/20, how they never pick Narine for the test in India, and how they drop Chanderpaul from the ODI.

zn264
on January 15, 2014, 22:26 GMT

Great to see NZ actually dominate a series! Sure it was only two T20s but you have to start somewhere and live up to the chat in all of these interviews you have with the press. Now we look to the big scalp of India which has never really lived up to the hype (even with the previous super stars) when touring NZ. Fingers crossed for a firey series where NZ can show the world stage we're ready for the big guns!

sheru-sher
on January 15, 2014, 22:25 GMT

Bloggers keep saying that WI were missing their "big hitters" in Gayle, Samuels, Pollard and Sammy. These aforementioned are "flat tract bullies" and there is no use complaining that they were missing.In T20 cricket Kings become paupers and vice versa so nothing absolutely nothing should be taken away from the Black Caps.They beat the WI good and proper , crop and neck .If for some reason a team go to the World Cup of Soccer without injured "top players" and lose they cannot claim the World Cup of complain. Take the beating and shut up

BRUTALANALYST
on January 15, 2014, 20:46 GMT

@mngc You're right I was just thinking about back up keeper but yes Fletcher deserve to be ahead especially after his fantastic CPL I guess Powell will also be in squad I think lewis is still bit young and would be hard to make debut in such big event but agree he is one to watch. Agree about fitness I guess the home 3 game series v England will give some opportunity for couple new guys to stand up if those stars are still injured.

mngc1
on January 15, 2014, 19:30 GMT

@brutalanalyst. Disagree with Charles who has no form or confidence. Powell, Fletcher and Evin Lewis are all before him. Lewis played well at Champions League which is good standard. A lot depends on fitness of those injured and getting back into form - Gayle, Samuels, Rampaul, Pollard.

iceaxe
on January 15, 2014, 19:06 GMT

Great to see Ronchi getting some form with the bat.

If NZ can perform more consistently, the India tour should be a good matchup.

Well done to NZ. As usual, they have been very competative in home conditions in the short formats but also the tests as well.

I do admire the fight shown by this WI team considering their fractured team format due to injuries prior to and during the tour. They should take quite a bit of heart from their performances though they did have some seriously bad sessions in the tests.

Dhali_BD_Fan
on January 15, 2014, 16:37 GMT

Great job New Zealand!!! Amazing and dominating performances! Am a big fan of the McCullum brothers, it is great to see them back in form!

sugars
on January 15, 2014, 15:52 GMT

well without sammy i thought west indies would be a more balanced team,yet the can't win. where are all the sammy bashers? guess they came make him the scape goat this time.

wapuser
on January 15, 2014, 15:42 GMT

This is moment of truth for WI.this tour clearly demonstrated the need for changes.International cricket is tough and involved long trips away from home (this goes for all teams) ,how do we mentally prepare our guys for this,wining is more than batting bowling and fielding,we have some glamour queens & primodonnas who is ready to take their ball and go home to mommies crying at the drop of an hat,they need to take a serious view on this ie after an enquiry and take the right actions regardless how gifted the individuals may be, also the only major change I want to see is (1) different test captain,(2) someone over Gibson with some say/opinion.

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 13:46 GMT

Good victory by a better side and an improving one. Bring on the India series - no doubt a tough one with consistent 250++ totals. Funny how crinklyoldbugger is nowhere to be seen... Neesham ice that game a bit too wickedly for you? And Best on the end of it!? Mmmmm.... yummy silence.
NZ bat deep and hit long... I see no reason for green tops and we just don't produce them for ODIs at our north island grounds... which is where the India ODIs are being played. That is all conspiracy theory and rumour.... we'll just take you on fair and square... and you better be ready to rock come sunday.
Good squad picked for the series with only Munro dropping out. First game they should think of going with:
Ryder / Guptill / Williamson / Taylor / B. Mac / Ronchi / Anderson / Neesham / N.Mac / Mills / McClenaghan
I would only play Milne if they rest Williamson...or Southee in same instance. Tough comp. for 1st XI. India's strength is their batting. Thus playing our talented all-rounders is key.

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 12:53 GMT

WI didnt have key players like gayle,samulels ,pollard ,sammy and kemar roach and they dont have enough players in bench,but when these players returns their team looks very strong to defend t20 WC atleast.. They should drop johnson charles and open with gayle and dwayne smith in t20 wc. With t20 Wc being played up at bangladesh gayle and dwayne smith has a good chance as these track are flat tracks..., 1.gayle 2.Dwayne smith 3.darren bravo 4.samuels 5.dwayne bravo 6.pollard 7.ramdin 8.sammy 9.narine 10.badree 11.roach. This is a very good t20 team for westindies n this is enough for them to defend d wc and andre russel,holder,rampaul and simmons will form 15 members of the squad...

android_user
on January 15, 2014, 12:44 GMT

both team played well but nz was today the better one...although tge windies played wihtout their big hitters gayle, samuels, sammy and pollard they built pressure on the black caps it wasn't an easy chase for them but at the end of day nz were the better team and in my opinion west indies still has the team to win the upcoming t20 world cup again with thrir big hitters!!

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 12:21 GMT

Both team played well..but NZ is top over WI..utilizing knock by Ronchi...but NZ top order is effortless against WI Seamers..

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 11:51 GMT

Good to gain form before the upcoming series against India. It has been good series overall for NZ against the Windies. 2-0 in tests , 2-2 in ODIs, 2-0 in T20s.

espncricinfomobile
on January 15, 2014, 11:38 GMT

Hopefully this is the last we hear of Walton and Tino

hurting_westindian
on January 15, 2014, 11:30 GMT

I thought Bravo said his team responds well to pressure. When you have players, administrators and fans that keep living in this sort of ignorance WI cricket keeps suffering. The only time WI can win a game is when the other team players far worst than they do.

BeigeBrigadier
on January 15, 2014, 11:28 GMT

I think some of the WI supporters are being unfair on their team. Sure, some players may not be up to international standard, and some are lacking form, but try looking at the positives.

Jason Holder - looks like a decent wicket to wicket bowler. Unlucky to have so few wickets.
Dwayne Bravo - great all-rounder and looked dangerous with both bat and ball. Cunning change ups and power hitting when required.
Sunil Narine - given the right conditions will always be dangerous. NZ batsmen mostly had no idea what Narine was doing.
Tino Best - he's there for his pace and aggression (which the WI bowlers are known for) not his economy rate. He needs to be hurrying up the batsmen, and I thought he did that job well.
Darren Sammy, Nikita Miller, Danesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul all looked good.
I'd have liked to see Chanderpaul playing the ODI's though.

Above all else, it's been a pleasure having the WI here in NZ. Their spirit and character has been exemplary. All the best, and thanks.

Kakariki
on January 15, 2014, 11:06 GMT

I must have missed a strange NZ vs NZ over - "He (Ronchi) continued to score boundaries off Sunil Narine and Jimmy Neesham in the overs that followed"

Thuram3
on January 15, 2014, 10:53 GMT

A night for the keeper-batsmen!

wapuser
on January 15, 2014, 10:49 GMT

players Like Anderson ronchi And N Mccullum are best t20 players in the world Nz Is Going hot Favouraite For T20 world cup

Mekkayel
on January 15, 2014, 10:41 GMT

So, you drop Powell and Badree, and retain best and walton?
Whoever is responsible for this is just plain stupid. There's no explanation for this kind of thing. A well deserved loss.

kiwicricketnut
on January 15, 2014, 10:37 GMT

looked like it was going to be a tight finish but the black caps batted well and paced it perfectly, they look a sharp outfit at the moment, bring on india i say, their fans are confident i would say over confident but this black caps side has the talent to put them in their place and send them home with their tails between there legs but it will be a big step up from the windies thats for sure but i genuinely believe we can win.

wapuser
on January 15, 2014, 10:24 GMT

To all the indian fans, if nzc make green and bouncy wickets I guarantee your kohli and sharma will not even score a single 50 in entire series

wapuser
on January 15, 2014, 10:15 GMT

@gud_crkt Even I am a Indian fan, but we shouldn't be overconfident of our victory. As Dhoni said, NZ shouldn't be taken lightly. The way they dominated WI over all the 3 formats , there is no reason why they shouldn't give competition to India.

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:58 GMT

Wish this had been a full strenght vs. full strength tour. Gayle in particular was missed - at least we get to see him back down under for the World Cup next year.

Bleed_Blues
on January 15, 2014, 9:52 GMT

Have a Last Laugh NZ. IND Waiting.

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:42 GMT

It has been widely published that Pollard and Gayle are injured. Anyway congratulations to the Windies for showing a bit of a fight tonight but, with Best as a front line bowler there is little hope. In spite of the good performances by Russell a nd Fletcher I still think that they should not be on any Windies team, be it Test, ODI or T20. Time for changes in the management also. Stewart Williams was not prepared to take advice from his senior players while he played, now he is a member of the coachinf team, no wonder we are going nowhere fast.

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:41 GMT

Hey - how about some credit for a side ranked LOWER that the Windies? Much better in the tests - even in the ODI's (as expected) and 2 from 2 in the T20's!
For the Windies - some top guns out for sure, but with Narine, Holder, Miller and Bravo (a VERY smart bowler by the way), the Windies have a good attack - oh, and they're T20 world champions aren't they?
I like the team NZ is starting to consistently pick, and reckon they'll punch above their weight again in the coming tournaments. GO THE BLACK CAPS!

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:39 GMT

Walton in and Powell out... really?

cricfan91185178
on January 15, 2014, 9:34 GMT

Welldone nz..enjoyed ronchi and ross taylors partnership...solid, and made sure we would win the series. No matter what the game, taylor is the glue of our batting line up...welldone guys but the Indian's were watching. .

Roysingh1972
on January 15, 2014, 9:24 GMT

Gibson and who? Is to blame, no one else. Badree had the second best economy average in the last game, while Best went for 40, why would you drop Badree and play Best again? Then Powell is showing class with the bat, you drop him, to play Walton. From the team that was picked, It was obvious that who pick the final 11, does not know much about simple Maths. I am tired of this West Indies coach and selectors, and so is ever fan from the West Indies, and around the world.

electric_loco_WAP4
on January 15, 2014, 9:14 GMT

So the series betw. minnows the home team NZ having better of their opp. in tests,OD and t20s. Quite on expected lines.

german1
on January 15, 2014, 6:52 GMT

Walton is a joke! He has to be the worst player ever selected to play for the WI and there has been some really bad ones lately

NEIL_GD_S10
on January 15, 2014, 6:01 GMT

where is my boy Pollard & Gayle?

No featured comments at the moment.

NEIL_GD_S10
on January 15, 2014, 6:01 GMT

where is my boy Pollard & Gayle?

german1
on January 15, 2014, 6:52 GMT

Walton is a joke! He has to be the worst player ever selected to play for the WI and there has been some really bad ones lately

electric_loco_WAP4
on January 15, 2014, 9:14 GMT

So the series betw. minnows the home team NZ having better of their opp. in tests,OD and t20s. Quite on expected lines.

Roysingh1972
on January 15, 2014, 9:24 GMT

Gibson and who? Is to blame, no one else. Badree had the second best economy average in the last game, while Best went for 40, why would you drop Badree and play Best again? Then Powell is showing class with the bat, you drop him, to play Walton. From the team that was picked, It was obvious that who pick the final 11, does not know much about simple Maths. I am tired of this West Indies coach and selectors, and so is ever fan from the West Indies, and around the world.

cricfan91185178
on January 15, 2014, 9:34 GMT

Welldone nz..enjoyed ronchi and ross taylors partnership...solid, and made sure we would win the series. No matter what the game, taylor is the glue of our batting line up...welldone guys but the Indian's were watching. .

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:39 GMT

Walton in and Powell out... really?

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:41 GMT

Hey - how about some credit for a side ranked LOWER that the Windies? Much better in the tests - even in the ODI's (as expected) and 2 from 2 in the T20's!
For the Windies - some top guns out for sure, but with Narine, Holder, Miller and Bravo (a VERY smart bowler by the way), the Windies have a good attack - oh, and they're T20 world champions aren't they?
I like the team NZ is starting to consistently pick, and reckon they'll punch above their weight again in the coming tournaments. GO THE BLACK CAPS!

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:42 GMT

It has been widely published that Pollard and Gayle are injured. Anyway congratulations to the Windies for showing a bit of a fight tonight but, with Best as a front line bowler there is little hope. In spite of the good performances by Russell a nd Fletcher I still think that they should not be on any Windies team, be it Test, ODI or T20. Time for changes in the management also. Stewart Williams was not prepared to take advice from his senior players while he played, now he is a member of the coachinf team, no wonder we are going nowhere fast.

Bleed_Blues
on January 15, 2014, 9:52 GMT

Have a Last Laugh NZ. IND Waiting.

dummy4fb
on January 15, 2014, 9:58 GMT

Wish this had been a full strenght vs. full strength tour. Gayle in particular was missed - at least we get to see him back down under for the World Cup next year.